Comments by "flagmichael" (@flagmichael) on "Toyota EGR Diagnosis Tips and Repair Tips" video.

Having a third gen Prius myself, this one really got my attention! I had heard about the EGR cooler problem and didn't know what to do about it. I had not heard of the valve problem. I see the valve from the dealer is not much more than the Rockauto price, so if I have to replace it I will go with the Toyota kit from the TSB.
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Callbacks are demoralizing for everybody involved. Everybody ends up with some but the best end up with the fewest. I don't remember everything I fixed but I remember everything that came back on me. (Electronics, but same thing.)
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@TheCarCareNut Worse yet, customers don't blame the mechanic, they blame the dealership. In these days of on-line reviews that can be really bad.
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@janjohnny4945 We have had Prius since 2002; my old 2002 needed a hybrid battery half a year ago around 19 years and 208K miles. The first gen was a lot less reliable than the later ones. I did a battery rebuild, using a ChrisFix video for guidance. The first gen Prius kit was just under $2000; the second gen Prius kit is just under $1500. I keep cars until they are no longer economical to repair so I may end up rebuilding our 2014 battery sometime.
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It will challenge even some of the experts, I know, but I have to take AMD's extensive hands on experience (and training) over even Pat Wong. There is a lot of truth in what actually happens.
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I wouldn't have any other. We have had nothing but Prius in the family since 2002 - by far the most reliable cars we have had in our 47 years together. The 2002 Prius needed its first actual repair (besides 12V batteries, wiper blades, and tires) a couple years ago at 195K miles - the inverter cooling pump failed. $150 and a few hours fighting rusted hardware fixed it. I can name the worst car I have ever owned: a 1984 Dodge 600 with a Mitsubishi engine, the second car I ever bought new, but Prius is so much better than any of the others I don't even know what the second place would be.
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In 50 years I have bought only 3 new cars. The 2002 Prius was the only one that was not a nightmare of unreliability. Tesla is out of the question; the nearest service facility is 130 miles away.
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In theory, the EGR does not affect mixture because the exhaust should have little excess O2 or HC.
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It shouldn't anyway. When it does the engine gets really ugly. I had a Ford F350SD work truck with the notorious 6.0L diesel. 12 miles from the pavement, in the soft sand (actually clay) of the Navajo reservation, the EGR jammed open. It would start and idle okay, but if I touched the throttle even lightly it would choke and die. Being a 4WD manual, I was able to feather the clutch and get it rolling, then actually pick up a gear so I could make it back to the road.
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Of course, the problem is it is a relatively cool metal thing that relatively hot exhaust goes through. It is a formula for trouble.
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The 0W-20 oil the third gen Prius requires is only available in synthetic. This is a good time to mention that simple steps to minimize EGR problems include the proper oil and the proper fuel. Page 578 of the 2014 Prius owners manual says: "Toyota strongly recommends the use of Top Tier Detergent Gasoline. For more information on Top Tier Detergent Gasoline and a list of marketers, please go to the official website www.toptiergas.com." I learned about top tier gas when I had a Nissan 300ZX with a manual transmission. The clutch got grabbier and grabbier, to the point I had to give it a lot of gas just as the clutch was ready to bite. One day I realized the problem was low engine rpm with relatively high load as I let out the clutch. I had identical trouble with a 1970 Volvo with Kettering ignition when the points got ugly. I filled the tank with Texaco gas and within 100 miles the clutch smoothed right out. I became a believer!
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@albeklik8055 More specifically, to control formation of NOx. If the EGR is jammed shut the engine will usually run okay but have much higher NOx emissions.
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